


Ringing Out in Silence

by Hllangel



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-17
Updated: 2011-09-17
Packaged: 2017-10-23 20:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/254361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hllangel/pseuds/Hllangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve's been clear about Rule One for a long time. Only, Danny needs to be around for him to actually apologize to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ringing Out in Silence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ratherastory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratherastory/gifts).



> Written for the [H50 Hurt/comfort comment-fic meme](http://hawaii-50-hc.livejournal.com/34688.html), where Ratherastory requested, "Danny told Steve to wait for back-up, told him he was going to get one of them shot one of these days if he kept going into these situations like goddamned Rambo. He was right, and Steve is totally going to let Danny tell him "I told you so" for the rest of their natural lives. He will happily listen to all of Danny's self-righteous rants for as long as Danny wants, if only Danny would just open his eyes, just once, that's all Steve is asking for..."

“Would now be a good time to say, ‘I told you so’?” Danny shouts from the other side of the warehouse.

They’re pinned down by at least three gunmen, far enough apart that Steve can hear Danny but can’t see him around the giant crates he’s using as cover.

“Because, I would point out that there are both a) more bad guys than you thought in here and b) they have more guns than we do, and that is counting your obsessive need to have a backup for your backup weapon.”

“It works for me,” Steve says, slotting a new clip into his gun and launching himself around his own cover to attempt to get a better feel for where the guys are hiding and possibly take one or two down while he’s at it. The plan only partially succeeds, as he manages to wing the guy, but not take him out. Instead of falling, the guy is still firing, but with his left hand this time, making the bullets fly even more erratically.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Danny shouts, and Steve is familiar enough with that tone to know that it generally comes after a near-miss with an injury and is often accompanied by a renewal of the man’s perpetual anger issues, though in this case it’s well justified and channeled at the guys shooting at them, and not, for instance, Steve.

Chin and Kono are on their way in, Steve knows, but their arrival time is up in the air as they were across town following another lead on the case when Steve and Danny tracked their suspects to this particular warehouse and barged in to investigate.

“I’ll call for backup,” Danny had said.

Steve had punched him in the shoulder, smiled, and told him that he’s the backup. Danny had called anyway, but Steve had never been all that good at sitting around doing nothing, especially when there was someone he needed to be chasing after, so he’d knocked together an assault plan, roped Danny into it, and stormed the building.

They’d managed to take out a few goons before getting pinned on opposite sides of the building, Danny shouting the whole time, barely intelligible when interspersed with the gunfire, both sounds so familiar that Steve barely pays attention to either as he concentrates on getting the last of their bad guys with his few remaining bullets.

It’s only when the last one falls and hits the ground with a dull _thud_ that Steve realizes how silent it is, and that the silence is bad, because Danny should be standing up from wherever he’s been taking cover and bitching at him for once again failing to wait.

“Danny?” he calls, panic starting to grip him when two seconds go by without an answer. Danny should be right there. He should be leaping out and looking fit to murder Steve. Some days Steve is pretty sure that Danny doesn’t only because he knows how much Grace likes her Uncle Steve. (And how much does Steve like being called that?)

“ _Danny!_ ”

Again, there’s no answer, and Steve racks his brain through the panicked fog of _no. no. No. NO. NO NO NO_ that’s starting to build so that he can remember exactly where Danny was shouting at him from earlier. There’s a muffled groan, over almost before it starts, but it’s enough, and Steve vaults a giant spool and finds Danny slumped against a crate, one hand holding his weapon loosely, the other wrapped around his side, just below where the vest is covered. Steve can see the dark red stain spreading under Danny’s fingers. Danny’s eyes are open, but they’re not really focusing on anything; his breathing is shallow, mouth hanging open.

Steve moves the gun away from Danny’s right hand and clamps his own over the wound, moving Danny so that he’s lying flat and still. Too still. He’s breathing but barely, and it takes for Steve not to start yelling at him in turn, because Danny is _shot_ , Danny could be _dying_ and their backup isn’t here yet. Steve fumbles in his pocket for his phone, not caring that he’s getting blood, so much blood, all over his clothing. Danny can bitch about the cleaning bills later. He’ll never complain about Danny’s bitching again, just as long as he’s still around to _do it_. “Come on,” he whispers as he dials.

The next few hours are lost in a rush of sirens, people, arrests and hospital white. Steve is pretty sure the surgery is taking about ten times as long as it should, but every time he starts to get up to complain about it to someone, to get an update, _any_ update on Danny, Kono is there in front of him, handing him more water and refusing to budge until he slumps down again. One of them must have called Rachel, because somewhere after 3:30 Grace appears on Steve’s other side and tucks her head under his arm, quietly worrying herself to sleep. Steve absently strokes her arm in what he thinks is a soothing gesture, but he’s not sure until it actually works and she relaxes, breathing deeply and evenly and becoming a more effective barrier to Steve’s habit of pacing the hallways and shouting at people than Kono could hope to be. She seems to know this and disappears for half an hour before coming back with sandwiches for all of them.

It’s sometime long after dinner when a doctor comes out to find them.

“You must be Commander McGarrett,” he says, holding out a hand. “I’m Dr. Kaeo.” He’s speaking quietly, mindful of Steve’s lap-full of sleeping little girl.

“How is he?” Steve asks.

“Nothing that won’t eventually heal,” Dr. Kaeo says, and Steve lets out a breath big enough to rouse Grace. She blinks sleepily up at Steve.

Dr. Kaeo gives them an indulgent smile. “He needs his rest, but you two can visit for a few minutes.”

“Thank you,” Steve says, standing and stretching, holding his hand out to Grace.

“Room 221.”

Danny’s asleep when they get there, breathing deep and even, the machines he’s hooked up to beeping softly, the hospital lullaby that Steve is much more familiar with than he cares to admit — or can. Most of that is classified. Steve pulls a second chair close to the bed for Grace and she climbs up easily, taking Danny’s hand. Steve circles to the other side and the chair that’s waiting. He leans on the bed, but fights his instinct to grab Danny’s hand and squeeze. He knows that there won’t be a response just yet, and that will kill him just a little bit more, despite what Dr. Kaeo had already told him.

Of course, this is precisely when Danny chooses to wake up and squeeze Grace’s hand. She lights up and scootches closer, careful not to actually hit him.

“Looks like you made it through,” Danny says, voice rough and quiet.

“Not for lack of trying,” Steve jokes. “You were right, I should have waited for backup.”

“Did the world end while I was out? Did you just admit that I was right about something?”

“I’m sorry, Danno,” Steve says, hoping that his tone conveys everything he’s feeling that he can’t quite name.

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny reaches up to grab Steve’s hand and get his full attention. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”


End file.
